Live from Bonnaroo: The Beastie Boys, David Byrne and Phoenix

(Soundcheck's Carole Giambalvo is in Manchester, Tenn., for the Bonnaroo Music Festival. She'll be sending Bonnaroo reviews from the scene all weekend.)

Bonnaroo at night: oodles of glowing accessories, and in my guestimation, a lot more people.

Off to see the Beastie Boys. Unfortunately, I think we were further from the stage than the attendants in the parking lot. (Another Bonnaroo trouble. You‚Äôve got to camp out in front of the stages so early to get up close, and then you miss everything else going on. The three MCs (MCA, Mike D. and Ad-Rock) one DJ, Mix Master Mike, and full band got down with no delay. (The sets really are on time here, like down to the minute.)

No Sleep Til Brooklyn and wonderfully tacky Paul Revere got big response from the sea of sweaty fans. An older gentlemen to our left wore a hat that read, ‚ÄúI am retired, having a good time is my job.‚Äù To our right, a twenty-something girl with a heavy Southern drawl told her friend, I listen to the Beastie Boys at least once a week." In other words, a really diverse group at this one.

Now here's a little story about the Beastie Boys. Before they became one of the most beloved and commercially successful hip-hop groups ever, they were a punk act. And they‚Äôve got a real thing for a truly live performance. ‚ÄúNo tape, no Ipod. This is life music, ya‚Äôll,‚Äù they told the crowd.

They did a little bit to that Clipse song Gridin‚Äô, Mix Master Mike did some solo cuttin‚Äô and scratchin‚Äô, and the set ended with the classic Sabotage. They did a trick play on it too, cutting it off after the first couple of bars and shouting goodnight. Psyche.